For the first time in four games, Ha-Sung Kim (28, San Diego Padres) is hitting for the cycle.
The outfielder went 1-for-4 with a walk in the leadoff spot in the lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on Monday (Sept. 29).
Kim, who has been on a roll since the start of the season, hadn’t gotten a hit since going 1-for-4 against Miami on April 24. He went 0-for-3 in a three-game series against Milwaukee on the 26th. Although he didn’t get a hit, he continued to get on base with walks, and he resumed his hit production after a four-game absence with a single against St. Louis on Sunday. He also extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
After this game, Kim’s season batting average is now .274 (119-for-435). On the season, Kim has 17 home runs, 49 RBI, 74 runs scored, 63 doubles, 98 walks, 29 stolen bases, a .367 slugging percentage, a .437 on-base percentage, and an OPS of .804.
San Diego Padres vs St. Louis Cardinals starting lineup (Aug. 29, before 35,917 fans at Busch Stadium)
San Diego’s starting lineup was Ha-Sung Kim (second base), Juan Soto (left field), Manny Machado (third base), Fernando Tatis Jr. (right field), Zander Bogaerts (shortstop), Garrett Cooper (first base), Matt Carpenter (designated hitter), Gary Sanchez (catcher), and Trent Grisham (center field). The starting pitcher is Blake Snell, who is in the hunt for the Cy Young Award this season.
The Reds’ starting order is Tommy Hyun-Soo Edmon (center field), Tyler O’Neill (left field), Paul Goldschmidt (first base), Nolan Arenado (third base), Wilson Contreras (designated hitter), Nolan Gorman (second base), Andrew Kiesner (catcher), Jordan Walker (right field), and Maysin Wynn (shortstop). The starting pitcher is Adam Wainwright.
Matt Carpenter, right, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2011 through the 2021 season, takes off his hat to greet St. Louis fans during his first at-bat in the second inning on Monday.
In the top of the first inning, leadoff hitter Ha Sung Kim stepped to the plate. The pitcher was a 42-year-old veteran named Adam Wainwright, and Kim swung straight at it for a hit. Wainwright’s 85-mph (136.7 km/h) fastball was up and away, and he hit it to center field, just over the second baseman’s height. It hit the tip of the bat, but the ball got caught in the backspin and sailed just over the infield before landing in the outfield. As expected, Kim Ha-seong singled, but he didn’t make it home. Against Wainwright, who usually doesn’t allow stolen bases, he couldn’t get his foot off first base easily. After Juan Soto flied out to right field and Manny Machado fouled out to first base, Tatis Jr. put his head down on a routine grounder to second. Kim sprinted toward second base and made a last-ditch sliding grab, but he couldn’t be faster than the ball.
Top of the third inning, both teams tied 0-0. A bases-loaded opportunity. Kim stepped up to the plate for the second time. The first pitch was hit high and away. And two pitches later. Wainwright threw an 82.6-mph (132.9-kilometer) cutter that Kim slid his bat down between the pitcher and third baseman for a surprise bunt. He sprinted to first base, but third baseman Arenado made an agile throw to first base after a bare-handed catch. It was a team effort to get the first baseman to second base safely. The official score was a sacrifice bunt. But once again, San Diego failed to score. Soto flied out to left field and Machado grounded out to the pitcher.
Kim stepped to the plate for the third time in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and the score still tied at 0-0. He let Wainwright’s first-pitch high cutter go. He followed that up with a 69.6-mph (112-kilometer) curveball, but it was hit into the middle of the plate. It sailed into the glove of Tommy Hyun-Soo Edmon, who was part of the South Korean team at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. During the WBC, Kim Ha-seong was deployed at shortstop and Tommy Hyun-soo Edmon at second base, making them a keystone duo.
‘When the monkey falls from the tree…’ Kim Ha-seong’s seventh error of the season.
In the bottom of the fifth inning. Kim, who has one of the best defenses in the majors, made an uncharacteristic error. San Diego starter Snell induced the leadoff hitter, No. 9 Winn, to ground into a double play. The ball rolled in front of Kim. Kim spread his crotch to get into a stable catching position and tried to make the catch. However, the ball deflected sideways instead of getting into his glove. The official score was Kim’s error. It was Kim’s seventh error of the season. After committing five errors in 79 games in 2021, his first year in the big leagues, Kim had eight errors in 155 games in 2022. All eight of his errors last season came at shortstop, and this season he has four errors in 87 games at second base, one in 27 games at third base, and two in 16 games at shortstop.
Kim drew his fourth walk of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning after San Diego led off with Carpenter’s RBI single, Sanchez’s double down the left field line and Grisham’s walk. The first pitch was a curveball that was high and in the strike zone. The second pitch, an 85.3-mph (137.2-kilometer) four-seam fastball, was called a ball. And pitch three. Again, Wainwright delivered a 115.2 mph curveball on the high side of the plate, similar to the first pitch, and Kim was able to get a good look at it but couldn’t capitalize as Arenado played solid defense.
Kim stepped to the plate for the fifth time in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and his team leading 2-0. The opposing pitcher was Jacob Barnes. After easily picking off a low, outside fastball, Kim swung at a 90.1-mph (145-kilometer) cutter in the middle of the strike zone on the second pitch, but it was a ground ball.
Meanwhile, San Diego used a 12-hit outburst to beat St. Louis 4-1 and snap a three-game losing streak. After strong starts from both teams, the Padres broke the game open in the sixth inning. After back-to-back singles by leadoff hitter Tatis Jr. and Bogartz, Cooper’s single to left field allowed Tatis Jr. to tag up and advance to third. Carpenter followed with a single to right-center field, scoring Tatis Jr. from third. San Diego added another run in the seventh. One out later, Machado singled, Tatis Jr. walked, and Cooper singled up the middle to put runners on first and second (2-0). St. Louis got within one run in the bottom of the eighth when Paul Goldschmidt arched a solo shot to left field with the bases loaded, 2-1. But San Diego added two runs in the top of the ninth to put the game out of reach. With the bases loaded, Cooper lined a two-run double to left center to seal the 4-1 victory.
San Diego starter Blake Snell pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out nine and walking four to improve to 11-9 on the season. Snell was relieved in the eighth by Robert Suarez, who pitched a scoreless inning, and Josh Hader came on in the ninth to earn his 28th save. The San Diego offense, which pounded out 12 hits, was led by Cooper’s 3-for-3 performance, while Tatis Jr. and Carpenter also had multi-hit games.토토사이트
Wainwright, on the other hand, was unable to get any support from his team’s offense after allowing one run on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout in six innings of work. It was Wainwright’s 10th loss of the season (3-2). Still two wins shy of 200 for his career, he went 11-12 with a 3.71 ERA in 191⅔ innings last year. This season, however, he is 3-10 with an 8.10 ERA (75 earned runs in 83 innings). Wainwright is a living legend in the major leagues. He’s been a member of the St. Louis Cardinals since 2005. He’s a three-time All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove winner. However, the weight of time is hard to beat. His velocity has been declining this season, and like Ryu, he has shifted to a style that relies more on his offspeed pitches and less on his changeup. According to Baseball Servant, he threw the most curveballs on this day (39), mixed in with 27 fastballs, 14 sinkers, 12 cutters, and one changeup. His four-seam fastball only touched 86.2 mph (138.7 km/h), while his curveball touched 66 mph (106.2 km/h). Tommy Hyun-Soo Edmon was silent, going 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. St. Louis managed just four scattered hits.